It stormed like crazy for about four hours last night. The power went out briefly. I managed to fall asleep and woke up cold. The temperature had dropped about 35 degrees.
After some tea and cereal I headed out using the Google to guide me about 15 mercifully flat miles north, up the Connecticut River to Windsor Locks. It being Saturday morning, the highway I was on was virtually car free.
I crossed the river and continued in the valley for another seven miles. Very gently rolling terrain was the order of the morning.
In Ellington, I stopped for second breakfast at a diner. The stools at the counter were only about two feet above the floor so I nearly fell backwards on my ass. Whoa!
The food (omelet with ham, home fries, toast) was plentiful and tasty and the coffee woke me up some.
Be for continuing, I put on my rain jacket. Temperatures had fallen a bit and I was riding into a steady wind.
I didn’t expect the level terrain to last and it didn’t. There were frequent cups and downs. One downhill was 10%. I’m pretty sure the hills are asymmetric – steeper if you are heading in a westward direction. Some thing to do with receding glaciers, the ice age, you know, earth science.
The next 30 miles featured one climb and descent after another. The hills were not as high as western Connecticut but they were more numerous. Thankfully, the scenery was pretty lovely. Woods. Small farms. Classic clapboard houses. White churches with talk steeples.
The miles seemed to crawl by. At Bigelow Hollow State Park I descended down a long, windy hill. Then had to climb a steep one, stopping three times to let my heart and lungs calm down.
Once past North Woodstock, the road started leveling out, rollers that I could hill hop. I stopped at a diner in Quinebaug, less than a mile from Massachusetts. I ordered a cheese steak and coffee (to warm up).
The sandwich was enormous as was the pile of fries. It was 3 p.m. so I decided this was my last meal of the day.
I waddled out of there, put my ear plug in, and let my Google master quite me to the campground.
It’s run by the Army Corps of Engineers so if you hear about a dam bursting and killing a bunch of campers, I’m your man.
The people running the place are super nice. I’m right next to the bathroom snd showers. The shower was 135 degrees I am told. I stayed in it for ten minutes just to warm up.
The only downside to this place is the hard ground. It’ll be a miracle if my tent stays staked. I managed last summer in Kooskia, Idaho on a concrete slab so I imagine I’ll make it through the night okay.
Tomorrow will be a shortish day because I can’t find accommodations between 40 and 80 miles on my route. It will also be a three state day. Such excitement! Five whole miles in Rhode Island. Woo hoo.
Big thanks to my daughter Lily for letting me stay on her amazingly comfy couch.
Miles today: 65
Tour miles: 637
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 
I’m thinking that 135º was an exaggeration. I used to calibrate pressure-balancing shower valves (that maintain a constant temperature when someone else runs water (e.g. flushing a toilet). If memory serves, I set them to 118º. The comfortable range is pretty narrow. A couple of degrees lower feels cold and a couple of degrees hotter is scalding. Per a couple of sources, 10 seconds in 135º water will cause full thickness (3rd degree) burns. On the other hand, dry air (like a sauna) can be tolerated (enjoyed) at over 200º. My outdoor thermometer (in shade) registered 94º today. My clothes dried quickly but I didn’t ride anywhere.
So how do the hills of CT compare to the hills of KY or MO?
I think you may be referring to the Trans Am Route in KY and MO. I’ve never done it. Route 66 in MO wasn’t as hilly though. The hills especially between the Delaware and Connecticut Rivers are plenty steep – had to walk – but not as high as out west.
That gut bomb looked amazing, as did the castle house! You route sounds like a dream, the changing landscapes like this keep things interesting. I would likely burn to death in that shower, but I am glad it did the trick to warm you up.
You and me both. It’s been cold and wet and windy and I want warm now!!!